[email protected] The voice of Niceville, Bluewater Bay and Valparaiso since 1992 (850) 678-1080 TThhee BBaayy BBeeaaccoonn 14 Pages, 2 Sections, 3 Inserts Wednesday, November 30, 2011 50¢ UP Board to meet in teacher-pay dispute MING CO Mediator recommends a raise falling short of union demand Friday-Sunday By Del Lessard A special magistrate last week recom- canceling the traditional annual increases contract talks, declared a negotiations Northwest Florida State Beacon Staff Writer mended that most Okaloosa County known as step increases, which give most “impasse” over the step issue. The decla- College will present a one- teachers receive a 3 percent pay increase returning teachers a 3 percent raise every ration required employment of a special man show about Teddy The Okaloosa County School Board is expected to meet this week to discuss rec- Jan. 1, six months later than the union year. magistrate to hear the dispute and make Roosevelt, “Bully: proposed. The Okaloosa County Education non-binding recommendations. An Adventure ommendations of a mediator to settle a pay dispute between the board and teach- The school board, citing a lack of Association (OCEA), which represents with Teddy funds, earlier this year froze teacher pay, 1,815 instructional employees in labor- Please see DISPUTE, page A-5 Roosevelt” at 7:30 ers. p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Sprint Theater, Mattie Christmas Kelly Arts Center, Niceville. Tickets for “Bully” are $15 Dressed for the cold adult and $10 for ages 18 parade set and younger. Info: 729-6000 or visit Saturday mattiekellyartscenter.org. Saturday, 10 a.m. At least 55 The Niceville-Valparaiso Rotary Community Christmas organizations Parade theme this year is: “It’s a jungle out there! Have a taking part jingle jungle Christmas!” Parade By Marie Rodriguez begins at 10 a.m. in Beacon Staff Writer Niceville at The Christmas spirit will fill the John Sims the streets of Niceville Saturday, Parkway and Palm Boulevard Dec. 3, with the annual intersection. Niceville-Valparaiso Community Christmas Parade. Saturday, 1-3 p.m. The theme this year is “It’s a Deborah Brodie, author of Jungle Out There! Have a Jingle “The Path That Gets Brighter,” Jungle Christmas!” with Grand will be at Bayou Book Co. in Marshall Lannie Corbin, Niceville signing copies or Niceville city manager. her book and answering The parade, which will start at questions. 10 a.m. and end roughly at 11 Info: 678-1593 or visit a.m., will travel west on John bayoubookcompany.com. Sims Parkway, closing all but two south lanes to two-way traf- Thursday, 7:30 p.m. fic, from Palm Boulevard to The Jazz Ensemble of Partin Drive. It will turn north on Northwest Florida State Partin, staying on the right and College presents a free con- keeping the two left lanes open cert on the mainstage theater for two-way traffic, and travel to of the Mattie Kelly Arts the area between the Niceville Center. No ticket required, Children’s Park and Ruckel the concert will include a Middle School. Mark Smith line-up of jazz favorites. Boulevard will be closed for the Info: 729-6000 or visit duration of the parade. mattiekellyartscenter.org. Floats will be judged and awards will be given as follows: Sunday Honorary Grand Marshall The Northwest Florida Award, Grand Marshall Award State College Madrigals and and President’s Award. First, sec- Belle Voci will perform a vari- ond and third place will be ety of a cappella and holiday awarded in the categories of music at the Tyler Recital Commerce, Club/Non- Hall, Mattie Kelly Arts Profit/Church (Adult), Club/Non- Center.Following the perform- Profit (Youth) and Best ance will be a Marching/Performing Unit. dessert recep- Results will be posted at the tion.Tickets are Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of $15. Commerce office by 3 p.m. Info: 729- Proceeds from the parade 6000 or visit mattiekellyarts- entries will support holiday meals for Sharing and Caring center.org. Beacon photo by Del Lessard This jolly old elf, waving to motorists on North Partin Drive in front of Niceville City Hall, knows how to dress for the season. Low families among other community temperatures for Niceville were forecast to be near freezing at dawn Wednesday, rising gradually over the next five days. service projects. The parade will Calendar, B-1 also host a Toys for Tots drive. Please see PARADE, page A-3 Five seek two posts on Valparaiso commission Five Valparaiso residents filed Bayshore Drive. incumbent, of 391 Glendale Ave. will take office March 20. won reelection three times. with the Florida U.S. presidential election papers with the city —Thomas G. Miller, 86, an Valparaiso candidates run at Up for election Jan. 31 are Shermer was appointed to the primary. The combined election clerk by the 5 p.m. Nov. 23 incumbent, of 202 Hickory large. The two the city commis- commission two years ago, will save Valparaiso money in deadline, qualifying as candi- Lane. top vote-getters sion seats cur- when Brent Smith resigned in polling expenses, city officials dates for two seats on the city —Kay Hamilton, 61, of 321 will win four- Candidates respond to rently held by order to run for mayor. Smith said. commission that will be on the Glen Ave. year terms on questions, A-7. Miller and lost. Elections for the cities of ballot Jan. 31. —Keith Randall Roberts, 48, the nonparti- Shermer. Earlier this month the city Destin, Cinco Bayou and Mary The candidates are: of 10 Dove Cove. san, unpaid, five-member city Miller was first elected to the election was rescheduled from Esther also moved from March —Joe Morgan, 55, of 289 S. —Neal Shermer, 46, an commission. The two winners city commission in 1996 and has March 13 to Jan. 31 to coincide 13 to Jan. 31. Assault ship’s bell to come home By Del Lessard Helmstadter, now an Beacon Staff Writer 87-year-old retiree liv- Eager to do battle ing in Bluewater Bay. in WWII after graduat- Used to announce ing from an Ohio high watch changes, the 8- school, Wally inch bell was mounted Helmstadter enlisted in on the Okaloosa’s the Marine Corps in bridge, where he report- The 455-foot USS Okaloosa, a WWII attack transport, earned a battle star for its role in the invasion of Japanese-held Okinawa in 1945. 1943 and served ed to the Navy deck The ship's bell will be installed in a memorial at Northwest Florida Regional Airport next spring. aboard the USS officer. Regional Airport. So far as any- class Navy attack transport was built ships as “Kaiser coffins.” the Internet the existence of the Okaloosa in the Pacific Wally Okaloosa County one knows, the bell, currently on built by Permanente Metal at “But she was a mighty oak as ship’s eight-inch bell at a war theater from March to Helmstadter officials now plan to put display in Alabama, has never Kaiser shipyard in California far as we were concerned,” memorial in Foley, Ala. After December 1945. the bell from the coun- been in Florida before. between Aug. 8 and Nov. 28, Helmstadter recalled last week. visiting the memorial with “I vaguely remember the ty’s namesake ship on permanent Named after Okaloosa 1944, when it was commissioned. In May, Okaloosa County (Okaloosa’s) bell,” said display at Northwest Florida County, the 455-foot Haskell- Troops referred to the quickly Judge Patt Maney discovered on Please see SHIPʼS, page A-3 The voice of Niceville, Bluewater Bay and Valparaiso since 1992 Page A-2 T HE B AY B EACON Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Lewis School puts science at the forefront Eglin engineers tutor pupils By Mike Griffith month to work with sixth chief mathematician for the Beacon Correspondent through eighth grade students. 46th Test Wing. He wowed stu- While the Okaloosa School Sometimes, said Driver, the dents in the school auditorium District is considering a propos- visiting scientists teach a class with his video of a Hellfire mis- al to establish a Science, or help students conduct hands- sile striking and destroying a Technology, Engineering, Math on experiments, while on other target in a fiery explosion on an and Medicine (STEMM) center days they show videos of Eglin test range. at the former site of Valparaiso weapons tests and other scien- The Hellfire missile, Hutto Elementary School, students at tific activities at Eglin Air Force explained, was originally Lewis School in Valparaiso Base, or demonstrate scientific designed to help Air Force already have such a program of principles in classrooms or in pilots, possibly including the their own. the school auditorium, gym or parents of some Lewis students, The Lewis program, admin- band room. destroy enemy tanks from the istered by Assistant Principal Three such scientists came to air. Jason Driver and Principal Mike Lewis on a recent Friday after- The original Hellfire had Fantaski, brings scientists and noon. One of these was Greg great penetrating power against engineers from Eglin Air Force Hutto, an Annapolis graduate armor, but when the same mis- Base to the school one day each and former Navy officer is now siles were used against lighter vehicles such as the trucks used by terrorists in the Middle East, they sometimes went right through the vehicles without destroying them or killing the enemy inside. Hutto showed how he and other scientists helped redesign the missiles with antipersonnel warheads, designed to penetrate the thin outer layers of a truck, then explode inside, destroying the vehicle and killing the occu- Beacon photo by Mike Griffith The Largest selection of genuine pants while minimizing harm to Greg Hutto, chief mathematician for Eglinʼs 46th Test Wing, wows Lewis School middle school gold & diamonds in Niceville.